The Rain And The Cricket

The Cricket Team played a friendly against Long Ashton. Ev reports thus.

A friendly cowboys XI travelled out to Winford to play Long Ashton Occasionals, against whom we usually have close games and the record was either 2-1 to them 2-2 or 2-1 to us, no-one could remember. Just before play, skipper for the evening Evan issued instructions to the team to play to win, with a hint of antagonism. LA batted first, having been inserted and were soon in trouble after a miserly opening spell from Pete (playing his first game for the Cowboys for 10 years), and early wickets from Trev (employing the Barnes Wallis delivery – confusing the batsman with the 3rd bounce). Wayne bowled an excellent spell also and LA were soon 58 for 5 with 10 overs or so remaining, and it was looking as though the game might end early. The skipper decided to give everyone a bowl, thereby ensuring an LA total worth chasing and a game for everyone. LA made it to 112 all out in the 20th over with most bowlers taking wickets. Special mention to Angelo and Jimmy P who both took there first competetive wickets for Easton Cowboys.

113 to win, against an apparently weak side, surely just a formality.

Matt and Evan strode out. Evan, who had not bowled himself in order to have a decent excuse to open the batting, strode back almost immediately. It became apparent their bowling was much stronger than their batting, especially when combined with the willingness of the young umpire, provided by LA, to raise his finger whenever requested to do so. Angelo, Steve O and Alan were all sent back by very dodgy LBW decisions. Matt hung around until he was caught well at square leg and all looked lost with 8 overs to go, 4 wickets remaining and the cowboys needing 12 an over or so.

Enter Jimmy P, who with his one shot repertoire (the straight twat), tore into the bowling and brought hope, until with 3 overs left and in the gathering gloom LA brought back their opener and a young kid who bowled proper fast. We were bowled out in the final over 16 runs short of the target.

Man of the match: Jimmy P 26 runs and his 1st cowboys wicket.

Cider Moment: Steve O taking 40 minutes to find the George and Dragon pub (about 500 metres from the ground).

11/06/2011

The Saturday Cricket Team played against Wrington and lost. TT reports thus:

Easton Cowboys C.C. Saturday XI v Wrington C.C. 2nd XI

Well blessed were our souls as the Friday night deluge didn’t carry over into Saturday and the Frenchay topography, groundstaff and heavy roller facilitated the prompt commencement of the match against Wrington.

The Cowboys’ skipper, it has to be said, is not much of a tosser: Once again he lost and the favoured option of bowling was taken by the opposition but the opening pair of DB and Angelo rose to the challenge, picking off quick early runs against a relatively lacklustre bowling attack.

When Angelo fell to an equitable LBW decision, last week’s flashing blade Ev came to the wicket and occupied the crease as DB played shots at the other end. By now, the run rate had dropped from a rosy six an over to around three, as opposition bowling changes revealed depth and threatened.

After Ev was bowled for a long duck, SteveO and Alan stuck around as DB headed towards and just past a half century, but when he was well caught, the innings needed the impetus and improvisation shown by Kalu to muster a respectable total: Time and again, exquisite lofty late cuts evaded fielders and raced to the boundary, but when he was eventually caught for 46, the late order and tail failed to make an impression against tight bowling and worse, left more than three overs unbatted in being all out for 149.

A fine tea from RobT refreshed and revitalised spirits, with the man himself coming out of the kitchen after the break to produce a tangerine with the first ball of a fine spell from the bottom end to bowl the Wrington opener.

Joe tore in from the top end but despite unsettling, couldn’t dislodge the batsmen and when Ev replaced him and your correspondent took over at the other end, the Wrington No.3 was establishing himself as the backbone of their run chase.

In bright sunshine the skipper took the first of two good catches, although the real pearler, voted as the Cider Moment and a contender for catch of the season, was plucked, prevented from reaching the ground and presented like a jewel in Angelo’s fingertips, diving forward at cover.

After economical bowling and fielding pressure had unsettled the opposition middle order into giving up several wickets, a rotated bowling strategy saw a confident Kalu given the ball and as he started to prise out the first of three batsmen, there was hope in the Cowboys’ camp. Most, if not all catches were taken, Gretch kept well behind well kept, recently varnished stumps, but despite good return spells from RobT and Joe, Wrington overhauled the target for the loss of eight wickets with three overs to spare.

Kalu was voted Man of the Match for his fine all-round performance, verging on jug-avoidance, but his post-match tutorial on coin tossing imploded when his demonstrations repeatedly failed.